Shloka 116
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त्वा नकुल: सर्वान् यज्ञे द्विजवरांस्तदा,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यज्ञस्थलमें उन समस्त श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंसे ऐसा कहकर वह नेवला वहाँसे गायब हो गया और वे ब्राह्मण भी अपने-अपने घर चले गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca—ity uktvā nakulaḥ sarvān yajñe dvijavarān tadā
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Habiendo hablado así, Nakula se dirigió entonces a todos los brahmanes más eminentes presentes en el sacrificio. (En el contexto del episodio, tras pronunciarse la amonestación, la criatura prodigiosa desaparece del recinto sacrificial y los brahmanes se dispersan hacia sus hogares, subrayando que la grandeza del rito es éticamente hueca sin verdadero dharma y compasión.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage functions as a narrative hinge: it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical claim that ritual performance (yajña) gains true worth only when grounded in dharma—right intention, humility, and compassion—rather than mere scale, prestige, or external correctness.
Vaiśampāyana reports that, after speaking, Nakula addresses the assembled eminent Brāhmaṇas at the sacrifice. In the surrounding episode’s flow, the extraordinary creature that had appeared at the yajña vanishes, and the Brāhmaṇas depart to their homes, marking the close of the incident and its moral reflection.